Ultimate Guide to Retail Markdown & Clearance Sale Schedules

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Most of the deepest clearance at Walmart, Target, and CVS lands in a handful of windows each year, and the biggest one is the two weeks after Christmas. Know the window, and you can buy at 50% to 70% off while selection lasts, or hold out for 90% and risk bare shelves.

Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app and mark Clearance to get alerts when we spot new markdowns, or text HACKS to 57299.

What's on this page:

When Clearance is Hot
The Holiday Markdown Schedule
Walmart
Target
CVS
Walgreens
Additional Stores to have on your shopping radar:

When Clearance is Hot

The two weeks after Christmas are the best window of the year, and the day after each major holiday is the next best. But clearance doesn't stop there. You can snag deals year-round. Below are the best times for clearance:

Dec. 26 to mid-January: Walmart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens mark down Christmas decor, wrap, gift sets, candy, and pajamas. Expect 50% off on day one, 70–80% off within about a week, and up to 90% off at Walmart and Target.
Late December to late January: Walmart and Target run their semi-annual toy clearance. Walmart starts at 25–50% off and goes up to 80% off, and Target starts at 30% off and goes up to 70% off.
Mid-January to early February: Walmart marks baby gear down by up to 70%, and Target does the same for bikes, scooters, and ride-on toys.
Day after Valentine's Day: Target, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens clear out candy, cards, and themed gifts. Expect 30–50% off the day after and 70–90% off within a week.
Day after Easter: Target, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens clear out Easter candy, decor, and baskets. Expect 30–50% off the day after and up to 90% off within a few days.
June to early July: Walmart and Target run their semi-annual toy clearance again. Walmart starts at 25–50% off and goes up to 80% off, and Target starts at 30% off and goes up to 70% off.
July: Walmart and Target take up to 70% off patio furniture, outdoor decor, and grills.
Late August to mid-September: Walmart and Target clear out back-to-school supplies and backpacks, and Walmart marks down patio furniture after Labor Day. This one varies by store and school start dates.
Day after Halloween: Walmart and Target mark down costumes, candy, and decor. Expect 50% off the day after and 70% or more within a week. CVS and Walgreens clear out candy too.
Mid to late December: Walmart and Target start early Christmas markdowns on select items, and CVS and Walgreens follow in the days leading up to Christmas. Expect 30–50% off.

The Holiday Markdown Schedule

After Christmas, Halloween, and Easter, Target follows a predictable schedule. Items worth grabbing go fast, so buy must-haves at the first or second step. By the time 90% hits, selection is thin.

One week before: Select store may start marking non-food up to 30% off and 15% off food and candy
Day after: 50% off non-food, 30% off food and candy
3 to 4 days after: 70% off non-food, 50% off food and candy
One week after: 90% off non-food, 70% off food and candy (lasts 1 to 2 days)

Walmart

Walmart is where the biggest Christmas markdowns happen, and the best part is that its clearance sticks around on the shelves all year, because Walmart doesn't send leftovers to salvage stores. Prices keep dropping about once a month until an item sells.

Last season's after-Christmas run started early. Select items dropped by up to 50% in stores only on Dec. 18, 2025. Then all holiday items hit 50% off on Dec. 26, 75–80% off on Dec. 29, and 90% off on Jan. 5, 2026. The toy clearance ran from Dec. 28, 2025, to Jan. 25, 2026, starting at 25–50% off and reaching up to 80% off.

TIP: Walmart's yellow clearance tags aren't always accurate for every product. Use the price scanner in the Walmart app to discover mismarked clearance prices when you're shopping in store.

Want the full playbook? Check out our guides to Walmart's hidden clearance secrets and Walmart toy clearance.

Target

On everyday items, Target clearance steps down from 30% to 50% to 70% off, and after that the item heads to a salvage store. Holiday goods are the exception, since they can drop all the way to 90% off.

Last season's after-Christmas run was slower than usual. Select Wondershop items hit 30% off at some stores on Dec. 22, 2025, and holiday items sat at 50% off from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2. They finally dropped to 70% off on Jan. 4, 2026 and 90% off on Jan. 7. In earlier years, Target typically hit 90% off by Dec. 30, so don't count on the same timing every year. The toy clearance started Dec. 26 and ran through Jan. 11, starting at 30% off and reaching up to 70% off.

Want more? Check out our guides to Target's toy sale and after-Christmas clearance.

CVS

CVS works a little differently from Walmart and Target. Its clearance is more about what's on the shelves than what's on the calendar, so outside the holidays markdowns pop up in different aisles with no fixed schedule. In October 2026, for example, we found 50% off makeup. Availability varies by location, so it pays to check your store. The holiday run is the part you can plan for.

Last season, in-store Christmas markdowns started later than usual, with 50% off on Dec. 29, 2025 and 75% off on Jan. 7, 2026. We found Christmas candy, decor, and toys on clearance in stores.

Want to dig deeper? Read our CVS Christmas clearance guide.

Walgreens

Walgreens followed a similar after-Christmas pattern last season. Clearance hit 50% on Dec. 26, 2025 and up to 80% on Jan. 6, 2026, in stores and on select items in its online clearance section. Selection varied by store, and some items stayed at 50%. In past years Walgreens has reached up to 90% in late January, but KCL did not find a store at 90% last season.

Additional Stores to have on your shopping radar:

Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby rewards patience. The biggest drop of the year happens on Jan. 2 (in 2026), when Christmas clearance goes to 90% off. In December, it's usually 60–70% off. Valentine's Day items hit 90% off around Feb. 21, and Easter items do the same about a week after Easter. Later in the year, classroom decor drops to 90% off in late August, and fall decor sits at 75% off for most of November, then goes to 90% off during Black Friday week in stores only.

Want the full calendar? Check out our Hobby Lobby sale schedule.

Ulta

Ulta is more about sale events than clearance. The big one is 21 Days of Beauty , which happens in March and again at the end of August into early September, with a new 50% off deal every day (the spring 2026 run was March 6 to 26). In between, the Big Summer Beauty Sale and the Fall Haul bring up to 40% off, and the Black Friday sale goes as high as 80% off.

Want the whole year mapped out? Check out our Ulta sale calendar.

Kohl's

Kohl's clearance is worth checking all year, with discounts that run from 50–83% off and most items landing at 50–60% off. The best time to save is right after Christmas, when seasonal decor goes into the Kohl's End-of-Season Event. Last season, markdowns started Dec. 26 at 30–70% off, and anything left dropped to 70% off on Jan. 1 with a bigger selection. If you earned Kohl's Cash while holiday shopping, use it before it usually expires on Jan. 1.

Use our Kohl’s clearance secrets to save 65% every time you shop. Check out all the Kohl’s deals available now.

Macy's

Macy's keeps its clearance in a section called Last Act, and it's worth a look any time of year. Expect 60–80% off, with prices dropping about once a month depending on inventory. For winter coats and boots, start looking in mid-January, then check Last Act in February for the deepest discounts.

Check out all the Macy’s deals available now.

JCPenney

JCPenney has clearance every day, both in stores and online, with markdowns up to 80% off.

Want more? Check out our JCPenney clearance guide.

T.J.Maxx

T.J.Maxx saves its biggest markdowns for the Yellow Tag Sale, which happens twice a year, in January and at the end of July. When the yellow tags drop, expect 50–70% off, and sometimes more. T.J.Maxx never announces the start, but the yellow tags began showing up on Jan. 7, 2026 and July 27, 2026.

Want more? Check out our T.J.Maxx Yellow Tag Sale guide.

Burlington

Burlington takes new markdowns every Sunday, usually in a category or two each week, so it pays to check back. Head to the racks labeled Clearance and flip through the red tags. During its winter clearance event, some prices have gone as low as $0.25. Burlington also runs a summer clearance event and winter clearance event in-store only.